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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Marshalltown Public Library

Marshalltown, Iowa

Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Marshalltown.

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17Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1858 to 1930Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

193,502Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Marshalltown, Iowa.

Get to know Marshalltown, Iowa in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Marshalltown Public Library's digital archive. Its seventeen titles include material from 1858 to 1930.

You can open the archive using the link below.
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  • Selected titles

    Explore titles such as “Daily Times Republican” and “The Statesman-Press Twice-A-Weekly”, shared by Marshalltown Public Library.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    A familiar name or event takes on another dimension in the newspaper coverage of its time, alongside the stories that mattered to the readers of that issue.

Historical newspapers can connect a family name with the events and everyday concerns of an earlier time, offering more than a date or a name on its own. Bring a family connection, a question about a familiar place or an interest in local history, and see where the sources lead. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse seventeen titles and 193,502 digitized pages, with material from 1858 to 1930. A partnership between Marshalltown Public Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Bring a person, place or date you recognize, and browse the titles below for a first clue in the story you want to follow.

Daily Times Republican

8 pages in 1881

Electric Light

3,892 pages from 1883 to 1887

Evening Times Republican

103,720 pages from 1897 to 1925

Iowa Temperance Standard

384 pages in 1869

Marshall County Reporter

72 pages in 1864

Marshall County Times

1,324 pages from 1859 to 1867

Marshall Daily Times Republican

16 pages in 1882

Marshalltown Times Republican

45,774 pages from 1910 to 1930

The Iowa Times Republican

8,830 pages from 1893 to 1899

The Marshall County Times

2,348 pages from 1858 to 1873

The Marshall Statesman

13,302 pages from 1875 to 1891

The Marshalltown Reflector

490 pages in 1908

The Reflector

5,516 pages from 1881 to 1908

The Statesman

4,838 pages from 1891 to 1897

The Statesman-Press

594 pages from 1897 to 1899

The Statesman-Press Twice-A-Weekly

2,382 pages from 1897 to 1898

Weekly Times Republican

12 pages in 1881

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About the Library

About The Marshalltown Public Library

The Marshalltown Public Library exists to provide residents of Marshalltown and Marshall County with materials and services that meet their needs for recreation, information, education, and cultural awareness. Established as a free municipal library in 1898, the library moved to the building at 36 N. Center Street in 1902, thanks to a $30,000 donation from Andrew Carnegie for the construction of a new library building. The Leise Addition, just west of the original Carnegie building, was added in 1975. The library’s current building at 105 West Boone Street was completed in December 2008.

Marshalltown Public Library photo 1

Library History

The History Of The Marshalltown Public Library

Library services in Marshalltown began in 1898 when the Marshalltown Public Library was established as a free municipal library. In 1902, the library moved to a new building at 36 N. Center Street, funded by a $30,000 donation from Andrew Carnegie. The library expanded with the Leise Addition in 1975, and in December 2008, it moved to its current, larger building at 105 West Boone Street. The library is a department of the City of Marshalltown and is primarily funded by municipal tax dollars. It meets Iowa public library standards and is accredited by the State Library of Iowa.

About the Community

About The Marshalltown Area

Marshalltown, located in Marshall County, Iowa, is a community rich in history and cultural heritage. Founded in the mid-19th century, Marshalltown has developed into a vibrant city known for its strong community spirit and diverse cultural offerings. The city is home to numerous parks, historic sites, and community events, providing residents and visitors with a blend of recreational and cultural activities. Marshalltown continues to celebrate its heritage while fostering a forward-looking vision for its future.

Marshalltown Public Library photo 2

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Follow a report into its setting

Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Marshalltown. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Marshalltown Public Library to follow that question into the historical record. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story. Read the headline and neighboring articles as well as the matching lines. The surrounding page can show whether a report is local news, an editorial, or another kind of account; compare its details with later coverage where available.

Take a place or institution mentioned in a report as a new search lead. Check the issue date and read nearby articles to see how the setting is described. Preserve historical names and boundaries as written, and compare another dated reference before connecting the place to a present-day location.

Record which title, date, page, or item supports a useful lead. Mark unanswered questions before connecting it to a family or community story. A similar name can point you toward another source, but it is not proof of identity.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Marshalltown Public Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.

Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.

Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.

Learn about partnerships
Read All About It

Stories, research tips, and archive news

Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.

Newest published articles

March 18, 2025

It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?

We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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